Of Three Times Lily Evans Changed Her Mind About James Potter
by JustGail
Summary: It wasn't supposed to end the way it did. And we all know exactly how it ended. Had things been different, they would have lived a long, happy life together, with three children and a cat. But had things been different, they might have never fallen in love in the first place. Or maybe they would have. Jily fic. Rated M for much later chapters and for mature themes. I own nothing.
1. Choices and Teddy Bears

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. Nor do I own James and Lily. Or any of JK Rowling's other characters, or world, really.

* * *

Prologue

_Or_

Of Choices and Teddy Bears

It wasn't supposed to end the way it did. And we all know exactly how it ended.

Had things been different, they would have lived a long, happy life together, with three children and a cat. But had things been different, they might have never fallen in love in the first place. Or maybe they would have. Maybe, because he was James Potter and she was Lily Evans and they were both proud and stubborn, maybe they had to fall in love, no matter what. Maybe it was destiny, but then again, neither of them believed in destiny. Their story is one of ups and downs, and fighting and screaming and an actual kiss in the rain, and love. And it is one of choice.

You could say that their story started the day they got on that first train together, or even the day that Lily met who would end up being her best friend, or even the day they were born, but they would disagree. Lily Evans and James Potter will probably tell you it all started with a choice that involved a teddy bear.

More specifically, a pink teddy bear, named Melody.

* * *

**A/N:** This has been a long time coming.

I say this is my way of getting over my addiction to The Life and Times by Jewels5 (which you should totally read) and is a semi-fanfiction on what she did, but it's mostly, you know, my own Jily fic, with my own headcanons and the way I see Jily.

My friends say that I talk about Jily too much and I should have written this fic months ago. They're probably right.

So I really hope you enjoy my fic, and unless this takes off like crazy _(__psst go read the life and __times__)_ you're welcome to message me anytime. Reviews, in the words of the amazing Jewels5, are better than sex.


	2. Melody and Her Three Thieves

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything that JK Rowling does. Not a single thing. This is quite troubling.

This chapter is relatively short, at more or less 1900 words (believe it or not), and I owe it mostly to the silence of my house during spring vacation.

* * *

Chapter 1

_Or_

Of Melody and Her Three Thieves

Her first memory was of her sister.

Petunia had stolen her least favorite stuffed animal – a pink bear christened Melody – thinking that Lily wouldn't even notice. But three year old Lily was just as observant as sixteen year old Lily, and noticed within the hour that one of her many stuffed animals was missing. Lily then stormed across the hall, with all her toddler might, and screamed at Petunia to return Melody at once. The incident was a sight to behold, and for many years after, her parents used to tease her about it. She _did_ get her stuffed bear back, though.

Lily liked to think about that little quarrel. Despite the fighting, Petunia and she were _sisters_ back then. They made up and went back to being best friends. Melody became, rather quickly, her favorite stuffed animal.

Now even the smallest of triggers would lead the two to a full on blowout that could not be calmed down. For a long time she was best friends with someone that her sister hated, and now she had no best friend at all. And it was the day before the last day of their fifth year, and Lily couldn't find Melody.

"She's missing," she insisted, her roommates rolling their eyes. "Melody's gone."

"I'm sure she flew out the window, the miserable thing," said Tally. "It was so pink and fluffy and _old_. I wonder why you even kept it."

"You know, I was just wondering about that quill of yours," said Marlene. "You know, the one you've had since second year even though it's broken and you really can't use it? I wonder why you still have _that_."

Marlene knew exactly why Tally kept that quill, though nobody else in the room did, and that rather cruel comment made Tally blush very deeply and angrily. She didn't say another word about Melody.

The fifth year girls' dormitory was a mess. Everyone – except Lily, who had been looking for Melody – was packing their things and the room was full of the sound of trunks closing and articles of clothing being aimed at the bed but hitting the ground. Someone must have spilled their perfume, because the room was heavy with the scent of roses, which Lily hated, and every inch of floor was covered.

"I'm going to look downstairs," she announced, eventually giving up on searching in their dorm room. She had no specific memory of ever even taking it out of her trunk – but as she couldn't find it, maybe someone else had seen it.

James Potter was waiting for her.

He wasn't actually waiting for her, though that's been known to happen. He happened to be waiting for Sirius, actually, who had said he would finish packing quickly and come down for a quick game of chess. But Sirius wasn't coming down, and James had been waiting for almost forty five minutes when Lily ran down the stairs into the dimly lit common room.

"Evans," he greeted cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Annoyed," she said, not so cheerful herself. She sighed and resigned herself to ask, knowing that if she asked, she might live to regret it, but if she didn't, she definitely would: she needed to find Melody. "You haven't seen a – well, a teddy bear – have you?"

"No, sorry." His hand shot to his hair, messing it up the usual untidy state even more. Automatically, he added, "Do you need any help locating it?"

Lily snorted. "I don't want any help from _you_, Potter," she said disdainfully, and James was sure her nose must have risen just a little bit into the air. "I will find it by myself." As she started walking away, she heard James call: "If you don't want my help – what was the point in asking me?"

Lily stormed away, fuming as she climbed her way out of the Gryffindor common room. In fact, she was so angry, that she didn't notice that when she walked straight into the only other person on earth she despised more that James sodding Potter right now.

That was, coincidentally, Severus Snape.

* * *

"Okay, I'm ready," said Sirius as he finally graced James with his presence, a short moment after.

"I don't want to play chess anymore," said James, annoyed. "How long does it take to pack three shirts and a couple of books _when you have magic_?"

"A long time… if you're not looking forward to looking home," he replied.

After a second, James shrugged. "You're always welcome to just come stay with me instead, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Sirius shrugged as well. "But maybe later this summer. I've really got to go home, at least for my – you know what, I've got an idea. Let's do one last prank."

"One last prank – Sirius, we've got two more years in this place!" James said, instantly abandoning the more serious line of conversation. "What do you mean one last prank?"

"C'mon, we're not going to be here for a _whole summer_. That's months! How about we go – Vanish someone's hair. Or make the Great Hall's walls purple."

"That's an awful idea," James said. "Purple clashes with _everything_."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fine then. You come up with something! Just go get your invisibility cloak and we'll be off."

James sighed, but did as Sirius asked, even if he was still annoyed.

* * *

"Lily-"

"What are you doing here?"

"I just –"

"Sev. What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

Severus flinched at her beyond angry tone. "I came to see you."

"Did you now?" Lily's face was so close to his, he could see her nostrils flare. It was ridiculous, Severus thought. She had always forgiven him before. Why not now? "And how did you know that I was going to come out? Or were you going to send Mary in again?"

"I –" he began, but was interrupted by the Fat Lady portrait swinging forward. It revealed only a scrawny little second year, who proceeded to look at Lily and Snape and walk away.

And suddenly, Lily understood.

"You took it, didn't you?" she said, glaring at Severus. "You thought it would get me out, searching for it… And you were right." She took a deep breath, visibly attempting to calm down. "I want Melody back."

Snape hesitated, and for a moment, everything was silent. The only sound was that of the Fat Lady breathing.

You see, despite everything, Severus Snape actually knew Lily quite well. He knew that, in Lily's eyes, Melody was the last connection to her sister that she had. He knew that she was very protective of said connection, despite its nonexistence in his eyes. And he knew that she would do whatever it takes to get it back - including speaking to him again.

"I took it, okay? I took your stuffed bear. But I don't have it anymore. I wanted to talk to you and – " It seemed that Severus Snape was feeling guilty. At least, he looked like he felt guilty when he said, "I lost it, and I wanted to give it back, but it was too late."

But just as Severus Snape knew Lily Evans, so did Lily know her former best friend. She knew that he was a great liar, but that when it came to her, he couldn't spit out even a lie over what he ate for breakfast. And she knew that he was lying now.

"You didn't lose it, did you?" she breathed. "You gave it to someone – no, you _threw her away_. You threw _my_ Melody _away_." Her tone was becoming rather dangerous, actually.

"I'm so sorry," he started saying. "I just wanted to talk to you, I swear – but then Mulciber saw, and I had to – "

"Go away, Severus," Lily said. "Go away and please, understand that when I said that our friendship is over, I meant _over_. Go AWAY."

There were some more moments of silence, and then Lily huffed, turned around and, after giving the password to the Fat Lady, walked right into Gryffindor tower.

* * *

"Padfoot?"

"Yeah, Prongs?"

"Want to go find a stuffed bear by any chance?"

Under the cloak, Sirius grinned. "I think I know whose greasy hair I want to vanish."

* * *

Friday, June 20th, 1975, was a fine day, with a clear sky and cold air that was incredibly refreshing. The birds chirped and the bees buzzed as the Hogwarts students made their way down to Hogsmeade.

Lily was not in the mood for a sunny day.

She had stayed up packing later than her friends, and had yet to find the elusive Melody; she had hoped that maybe Snape had lied once more, but all hope was lost when the room was spotless and Melody was nowhere to be found.

So, Lily grimaced at the clouds as she loaded her trunk onto the train and sat down in a compartment with Marlene and Dorcas, simply waiting for the train to start moving and this year to end.

* * *

"Prongs, remind me why you spent seven hours last night looking for a _pink _teddy bear?" asked Sirius as they were loading their trunks onto the train. "And in the same time, remind me why I let you do it?"

"Because I promised I'd help you vanish Snape's greasy hair," said James. "Which we did. Rather successfully, and without getting caught, I might add."

"Yeah, but it's back now," he dismissed. "The effects of its greasiness will continue to affect me for a while. And speaking of things I can't erase from my memory – that awful stuffed animal. I can't _believe_ you were willing –"

"Yeah, let's not speak of that incident ever again, please," said James, grimacing.

"Whatever it is, I concur wholeheartedly," said a friendly voice behind them. Remus Lupin, looking incredibly amused, was standing behind them. "Though I must ask, did you sneak _into_ the Slytherin common room or did you vanish his hair after swimming into the lake?"

"Well, Remus, had you been there, you would've known, now wouldn't you?" said Sirius, in a tone that would have been put into better use when accusing someone of treason. "Where were you last night?"

"I was helping a third year with this –" he stopped midsentence. "James, why do you have something pink sticking out of your pocket?"

James looked down immediately, tucking the fluffy paw back in. "It belongs to Evans," he said proudly.

"My God James, you didn't _steal_ it, did you? Because I promise you that will be counter-productive in the way of impressing her."

"I didn't steal it," promised James, just as Peter came along.

"Didn't steal what?" he asked.

"A pink teddy bear that belongs to Evans. And she lost it, so I'm bringing it back! Jesus, Remus, you can't be so suspicious all the time," said James. "Come on, let's go find a compartment before Moony explodes."

* * *

That day could have unraveled in many ways. For example, Lily and James could have, respectively, stayed in their own compartments and enjoyed the last bit of magic they had left before summer started. James could have kept the teddy bear, ignoring everything that happened around him and returning it to her politely as they got off the train, or alternatively, he could have given it to her just as they got on the train, and saved both Lily and himself quite a lot of heartache and trouble.

But the way that day turned out wasn't quite as peaceful as that.

* * *

**A/N:** The next chapter is so long I had to split it. So I hope you're looking forward to it. A small, almost-spoiler? James has a very hard time in giving Melody to Lily. It's adorable how hard he tries, though.

Thank you for those who followed, favorited, and reviewed. There's a good number of you, considering I published yesterday, and I'm thankful for every single one. Keep 'em coming!

LJ4lyf: I'm glad you bit. You may now receive some chocolate to bite on as well.

Dubious Site: Jily is the best. I'm glad you're looking forward to reading my story, and I hope you enjoy it!


	3. A Train Ride and Lily Evans Saying Yes

**A/N:** A friend pointed out to me that James waiting for Sirius for forty five minutes it out of character. Pretend it said it just _felt_ like forty five minutes, and he was actually waiting just like, ten minutes tops.

* * *

_So far__: Lily lost a pink teddy bear named Melody. After asking James if he's seen it, she figured out that Severus stole it and threw it away because of Mulciber. Sirius and James, under the cloak, heard the whole thing. James somehow found the bear with the help of Sirius, and they vanished Severus' hair, though it was grown back. James plans to return the teddy sometimes during the next day, when they're on the Hogwarts Express._

Chapter 2

_Or_

Of a Train Ride and Lily Evans Saying Yes

(Evening)

The thing about train rides is that they're both extremely long and extremely short.

The Hogwarts express, for example, took approximately seven hours, thirty five minutes and twelve seconds to get from Hogsmeade to King's Cross, approximately six times a year. When considered within the grand scheme of things, seven hours, thirty five minutes and twelve seconds is not a long period of time, but it could also be what changes everything. One second could be, in such a case, an eternity.

Lily hated change. In fact, that was probably one of the reasons she was so hesitant when it came to ending her friendship with Severus. But change was about to hit in her in the face.

"Ow!" she yelled when a furry object hit her in the face.

"You're welcome, Evans," said James sarcastically. "And you're absolutely right, by the way. I should have never come near you in the first place."

She glared at him, looking down at the object which fell to the ground. When she saw what it was, though, her expression was fundamentally changed.

* * *

(Late Afternoon)

"She'll be the death of me," said James. His glasses were askew and his lip was bleeding, and his hair, normally a messy halo of darkness, had clumps that seemed both damp and sticky.

"Yeah, she will," agreed Sirius. "But at least you'll go down fighting."

"If she ever lets me fight for her," he sighed.

"If you ever understand she's perfectly capable of fighting for herself," said Remus, "maybe then she'll speak to you again."

"She'll speak to me again," answered James. "By the end of the day. I haven't given it to her yet."

* * *

(Morning)

"James, when are you planning on actually giving this stuffed… creature… back to its original owners?" asked Remus, eying the teddy suspiciously.

"It's not a creature!" said James. "And I will do it when I see Evans."

"You might not see her until next year, at this rate, and I fear that might be too late," Remus pointed out.

* * *

(Early Afternoon)

"I'm hungry," said Sirius suddenly.

The other marauders didn't blink. Peter, who was reading that morning's newspaper, looked up slowly and said, "If you're going to the trolley, could you get me a pumpkin pasty or two?" and then looked back down. James and Remus continued conversing amongst themselves, and barely noticed when Sirius walked out.

"Where the hell is that trolley," muttered Sirius to himself fifteen minutes later as he walked across the train, his stomach rumbling loudly. "I'm famished."

The thing about long train rides is a boy is bound to get hungry. He's also quite likely to get bored, so when he glances inside a compartment and sees none other than the one and only Lily Evans, surrounded by candy, he thinks nothing of it. It's just natural for him to open the door and slip in, a smirk already slowly growing on his face.

Lily was laughing. It was in moments like these that Sirius understood, on some level, why James was so attracted to Lily: when she laughed, she put her whole heart in it. Sirius, who was very much the same in that regard, appreciated that about her.

"What's so funny?" he asked, leaning on the doorframe.

Almost instantly, all traces of humor disappeared from her face. "None of your business, Black," she spat.

Before his retort – which would come, of course – Sirius took the time to look around the compartment. There were five inhabitants, all in all: Lily, of course, was one of them. There was also a blonde sixth year that he had seen around the common room, but didn't know by name, sitting on the floor; two of Lily's roommates, namely, Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadows were there as well. Lastly was Frank Longbottom, also sat on the floor, the only truly friendly face in the compartment. Frank, though a prefect since the year before, was always quite happy to help with the less harmful pranks, and helped him recover from the shock of Remus being made a prefect in the beginning of _this_ year.

"Well, I still have the right to ask," he said finally. It wasn't the wittiest line that he had ever said, but he was willing to accept it as passable. "What's up, Frank?" he asked.

"I'm good. You?" Frank was holding hands with the unnamed blonde, and Sirius, incredibly observant, took that to mean that the two were dating. Surprisingly enough, he didn't particularly care.

"Simply dashing. Actually, Peter wanted a pumpkin pasty, and I couldn't find the trolley – but I seem to have stumbled upon the equivalent," he grinned. "I don't 'sppose you want to donate a few sweets to a noble cause?"

Lily and Dorcas snorted in unison. The blonde was suppressing laughter, and sat up, straightening her back, as she said, "You're welcome to stay and eat some of it. My treat," she added.

Sirius' grin became impossibly wide as he found a spot on the floor besides Frank and his girlfriend. He should probably figure out her name, he thought.

Over three quarters of an hour and lots of sugar later, Sirius had learned the sixth year's name – Alice – and had found out that this bunch weren't terribly boring. In fact, they were quite entertaining, and much more willing than Remus to listen to his stories.

Muffled voices were heard from outside the compartment just as Sirius was finishing a joke – even Lily, having gotten used to him slightly now, laughed freely, which Sirius enjoyed thoroughly – and then, for the second time within an hour, the door was forced open.

"Remus!" cried Sirius. "Come, join us. We have chocolate –"

Remus didn't answer him, though, and instead turned back and called out to someone in the hallway. "He's in here, guys! He's fine!"

Not even three seconds had passed before James appeared at the door of the compartment. "Thank God you're okay," he said, his face red.

"Yeah," Sirius said, confused. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Peter squeezed into the compartment, James and Remus having both stayed in the doorway. "Mulciber – we were looking for you and he said – well, anyway, we've been looking for you for like fifteen minutes."

"Glad you're okay," added Remus. "Hi, everyone."

"Hi, Remus," said Marlene. "Have you come to take your runaway son back home?"

Remus and James both cringed at the thought of Sirius being their son. "Actually, we just wondered if he had found the trolley after all," said James. "But he seems to have found an even better alternative. Hi, Evans."

Remus kicked him.

"Ouch! I mean, uh, Evans, will you talk to me outside for a second?" he said quickly.

"Why?" was all she said. James took that to be a good sign. Usually she would've outright refused him and he didn't particularly want to give her a teddy bear in front of so many people – including near-strangers, and even worse, including Sirius.

Sirius laughed. "You should let him speak here, Evans," he advised. "This is going to be _hilarious_, and I wouldn't want to miss it." James sent a warning glare at him, but he didn't catch it, or maybe he ignored it.

Lily shook her head and sighed again. "Yeah, fine, I'll go with you. But no tricks."

As James left and Lily followed him, Remus said, "I reckon I should take you up on that offer of chocolate."

Sirius grinned and pointed at the mountain of chocolate and other, less important candy on the seat.

"And maybe a pumpkin pasty for me?" suggested Peter.

"Tell me though," asked Marlene, ignoring Remus and Peter and looking straight at Sirius. "How did you vanish Snape's hair?"

* * *

They had been walking for at least ten minutes before Lily caved and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Back to the compartment we were staying in," said James, picking up his pace. "I left something there."

"I thought we were going to talk."

"We are," he promised, his hand reaching up to his hair. When they finally reached the compartment, he made her wait outside. "Just stay here," he told her. "It's worth the wait, I promise. I just didn't want to carry it along the whole of the train when we went to find Sirius." And before Lily could ask what "it" was, she was left alone in the corridor, waiting for James sodding Potter of all people.

Perhaps this is an appropriate time to explain what Lily was doing there in the first place, considering the distaste Lily harbored for the poor boy. It seems like only a couple of days ago that she yelled at him that he was a bullying toerag that should be pushed off his high horse – and that was because it wasn't that much longer than a few days ago. But there was more going on.

Firstly, she hated James, but right now she hated Severus more. He had humiliated her in front of so many people, and that was the least of it. He had defended his friends – like she defended _him_ – and had lied through his teeth. And perhaps if he'd see her with his enemy he would be so angry at _her_ that he would leave her be.

Secondly, Sirius had gotten to her. They really were quite similar in many ways, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and they both had trouble at home – it was no secret that Sirius and the rest of the Black family did not get along, though the extent of it was not known to her. They both only confided with few people but got along with most, and, right now, they both hated Severus Snape. So after close to an hour of laughing with him, she would give his best friend a chance, not to mention spare James from whatever humiliation Sirius was threatening him with.

Lastly, she was curious. It was one of her defining characteristics, in her nature to ask questions and to want answers.

And so when James Potter asked her, rather politely, to talk to him, she said yes.

* * *

She hadn't been waiting for very long when James' face appeared again, looking flushed. "Okay, you can come in now." He opened the door to the compartment, and she slipped inside, shutting the door behind her.

James opened his mouth to speak when suddenly, the door flew open.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter ended up being over 4000 words, so I split in half. Soon - part two!

I have like six projects and four tests in the next two weeks, and soon the equivalent of NEWTs start, and I just... I'm not looking forward to the next two months at all. So I'm writing instead of studying for me English test tomorrow. Really, it's all your fault.

Dubious Sight: Firstly, thanks! Secondly, as someone close to me pointed out, the whole Melody plotline probably came from me, as I recently lost my own version of Melody... and I would do anything, anything to get her back. There are simply different sort of people - and Lily is the emotional type. One of the reasons I'm writing this fic in the first place - Lily is crying in almost/all scenes we see her in, in canon, and I'm sick of aloof, closed Lily. So yeah.

calypso: Thank you so so so much. That means so much. I plan to keep writing for quite a long time, so thank you once again :)

Reviews will not just make my day, but will probably make me update sooner.


	4. Bloodshed and Three Times James Tries

**Disclaimer:** JKR owns all of this. Except for the plot, which was stolen mostly from my brain. I don't own Tonight Alive either, but they definitely gave me some inspiration.

* * *

_So far__: Lily lost a teddy bear that James found. Sirius is so bored on the train ride back home that he ends up staying in Lily's compartment for an hour until the other Marauders come and find him. James asks to have a conversation with Lily so he can give her the teddy, but realizes that he left it in the compartment so they walk back to his compartment. Everybody else stays in the other compartment. Before James manages to say anything someone interrupts them._

Chapter 3

_Or_

Of Bloodshed and the Three Times James Tries

(Early Afternoon)

"Potter and Evans, together," said an unfriendly voice. "Who would have ever thought?"

"Mulciber." James gritted his teeth. Mulciber was the worst sort of Slytherin, believing in everything he was taught and more.

"Potter," warned Lily, not wanting to get in a fight right now.

"What are you doing here, Mulciber?" said James, ignoring her.

Mulciber sneered and said, "Oh, I just fancied taking a stroll, really, when I saw you, Evans, waiting outside of a compartment. I was thinking of saying hi – just casually, really – when your _best buddy_ here stuck his head out, and I was just _incredibly curious_ as to the nature of this meeting." He was starting to show so many teeth, Lily doubted all of them were real.

"Go away, Mulciber," said another voice. Despite everything, Lily couldn't help but think, _Sirius Black to the rescue!_

It really was ironic that only an hour ago she hated him.

* * *

(A couple of minutes later)

"Thanks, Black," Lily said, "for getting the creep to go away with your mere wit."

He waved dismissively. "It's fine. I'd never give up the opportunity to mock Mulciber, the big goon. I mean, he really is nothing more than –"

"A taller, uglier version of a gorilla?" finished James angrily, looking very much like he wanted to punch something.

"Precisely."

"Well, I'm off," said Lily, getting up. "The world is waiting for me – or at least, Dorcas and Marlene are. Waiting for me, that is."

"Bye," said Sirius, looking at James. No more than a second had passed since the door closed before James opened his mouth, and Sirius interrupted. "I don't know what happened here, and frankly, I don't want to know, so seriously, just don't say a thing."

James just frowned. "I was just going to suggest that we don't tell Remus what happened here."

"Oh." Sirius thought it over, then nodded. "Yeah, let's not. He'll be angry at us if we even mention Mulciber in relation to us."

The door opened to reveal Remus and Peter.

"So," said Remus. "What the _hell_ was Mulciber doing outside our compartment?"

* * *

(Late afternoon)

"Shit, I didn't give it to her!"

* * *

There were three of them.

A Black, firstly, who was a first or second cousin of Sirius's and James' third or fourth cousin by marriage, was standing there. Madigan Black was as pretty and bright and ambitious as they come. She was one of the top students in their year, which shows that being smart and being kind don't have go together after all.

Avery was not anything like her. He was big and goofy and incredibly dumb, and he really didn't have that many ambitions besides punching first years. That was a line even James hadn't crossed in a while. And he was the proof that he didn't need to have anything between those huge ears of his to be incredibly mean.

Mulciber was not a nice person in the least bit, but he was big _and_ ambitious_ and_ smart (relatively, when put next to Avery, at least), and he had the added advantage of being a boy, so he was the leader of the lot. Believing what he was told, he sauntered around Hogwarts like he was better than everyone else simply because he was a pureblood and in Slytherin. Truth was? He was average at almost everything. The only thing that he had real talent at was being charismatic, but even that was limited to people who believed in what he said already. Never in his life had he been able to get one single person to change their mind, which was why he stuck to his group of so-called friends.

Really, they were an awful bunch. And they were standing right outside Lily's compartment.

James was so pissed at the fact that they would even get near Lily that he did what any sixteen-year-old teenager would do: he punched whatever was closest. It just so happened to be Avery.

It was a bold move, definitely.

It was also definitely a bad one.

* * *

Lily ran out when she heard something heavy fall outside of her compartment. So did many people, as it turned out: there was a crowd in front of whatever it was. She struggled to get through the crowd, get a glimpse of whatever it was –

But she should have known.

James Potter was getting beaten up by Avery and Mulciber, but he was putting up a fight. Soon, he had Avery unconscious, but he looked like he was getting tired quickly, as someone gave him a few good punches in strategic places, and Mulciber barely had a scratch on him. Two on one was probably not the easiest thing to do.

Suddenly the two were separated by an invisible wall. Lily looked around her to try and figure out who did it, but more than one person had their wands out.

Then a voice came out behind her, and she realized once again that she should have known.

"Get _away_ from each other," shouted Madigan Black. "This is _not_ the time to be fighting. We are _going now_," she added to Mulciber.

"Stay away, Potter," hissed Mulciber. He slapped Avery, who woke up, and helped him up. "Come on. We shouldn't spend any more time on this blood traitor."

* * *

"YOU IDIOT!" shouted Lily, Dorcas and Marlene.

James cringed. "I was just – reacting."

"To what, exactly?" asked Dorcas sarcastically. "Them standing outside our window? Because that's everything I've gotten out of you so far!"

"Yeah, well, I was just trying to protect – " he started, but didn't manage to say anything more before Lily interrupted him.

"We don't need your protection!" she cried. "We are the same age as you, we've taken the same classes, and we have the brains to actually use _magic_ instead of fists! So get out – I'm tired of listening to you whine about how you think you're some _hero_ 'cause you're _not_. You should have never come here in the first place!"

James, who had slowly, during the course of the day, forgotten what his relationship with Lily was really like, felt shock course through him. His mind blank, he got up and left the compartment.

* * *

James staggered into the compartment where the other marauders were sitting. They were playing a game of Gobblestones on the floor, and none of them looked up when the door open.

"Alright, Prongs?" asked Sirius, concentrated on his move.

"Not really," he groaned. The three sitting Marauders immediately looked up, and reacted quickly, getting up themselves and helping James sit down.

"What happened?"

"Are you okay?"

"Would you like some chocolate?"

James gladly accepted the last offer, and while Remus looked through his bag for some spare chocolate he could give him, Sirius tried to get the story out of James.

Finally, James said the following:

"Mulciber was standing outside of Lily's compartment – and Avery too."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Peter. "She doesn't even like it."

"I don't know," he admitted. "It's just that… at a certain point I realized that - she'll be the death of me."

"Yeah, she will," agreed Sirius. "But at least you'll go down fighting." He conjured some ice and gave it to James.

"If she ever lets me fight for her," he sighed, wincing as the ice the conjured touched his face. James realized Remus was handing him chocolate. Not just that – but he was also speaking!

"If you ever understand she's perfectly capable of fighting for herself," Remus was saying, "maybe then she'll speak to you again." James took a moment to remember that they were talking about something – him wanting to fight for Lily.

"She'll speak to me again," answered James. "By the end of the day. I haven't given it to her yet."

* * *

(Early Evening)

The thing about train rides it that they are generally boring. Nothing much happens on most trains. But every once in a while, call it fate or luck, two people sit next to each other, or bump into each other on the way to the loo, and their lives are turned around. One of them might inspire the other one to write a bestselling novel. They might end up being arch nemeses. Or they might end up marrying each other.

The Hogwarts Express train ride was fairly normal for most of the students of Hogwarts who were on it on June 20th, 1975. Besides one fight on the second car, nothing of particular interest happened. Lionel Marvin cheated on his girlfriend. Shelly Finicky sat with who would become her best friend, her girlfriend, and then her best friend again. Molly Hooper sat alone in the last compartment.

But strange things were happening in our merry little group. And eventually, when things heat up enough, they blow up.

* * *

Lily was, once again, sitting in her compartment with her friends, when its door opened. She hoped – wished – begged for it to be anyone _but_ James Potter. She even found herself wishing it was Sirius. She had no such luck.

"Can I talk to you? And actually finish a sentence this time?" he asked. Though he looked composed, really James was on the verge of begging. There was less than an hour left to the train ride, and he planned to change into Muggle clothing the moment he could and spending the rest of his time on the train _not_ thinking about a certain redhead with a bad temper.

Lily glared at him.

"It really is important," he said.

And, for the second time, Lily said yes.

* * *

Lily started speaking the moment they stepped out of the compartment.

"Before you say anything," Lily was saying, red in the face, "I don't forgive you for being an asshole; no, I will not write to you this summer, you prick; and no, I will not go on a date with you."

This was the wrong this to say. Lily, though usually good at reading people, managed to miss the fact that James was on the verge of bursting. He himself was rivaling her in the dark tint his face was taking; it turned red, and then almost purple, before he managed to calm down enough to reach into his pocket and throw a certain stuffed animal in her face. Lily yelped in surprise, and then looked down, only to see that it was, in fact, Melody.

"You're welcome, Evans," said James sarcastically. "And you're absolutely right, by the way. I should have never come near you in the first place."

Lily, who had nothing to say to that, stood there and stared.

James stared back, but the silence was getting to him. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Yell at me for doing something nice? For trying to get a girl I fancy to go out with me, or even write me?" he asked finally. When she still simply stood there, silent, he turned around and started walking away.

When he had walked past two compartments, a little voice, as if unrelated to Lily, came out and said: "Thank you."

Only God knows whether he heard her or not. He certainly didn't halt.

* * *

As train rides go, this one wasn't the worst. It certainly wasn't the best.

The next summer was going to be hard. Neither Lily nor James would truly enjoy it. But they would endure, and they would persevere, and they would survive.

And as they stepped off the train and walked through the barrier into the summer air in King's Cross, they were walking from one stage in their lives to another, more complicated one.

* * *

**A/N:** This is my third attempt at publishing this. If this doesn't work, I just might kill myself. Not really, I'll just try again tomorrow, when it's not 1:30 am and I'm not listening to Taylor Swift.

Calypso: I'm glad that you enjoyed Sirius' point of view. Why? Because of the next paragraph.

Next chapter is Sirius-centric! It's probably one of my favorite chapters I ever wrote, with all kinds off little tweaks and stuff I like. I want to do this with every character (even Tally, though she's an OC and I don't like OCs too much) and I'm already working on a chunk about Marlene which will probably be around chapter 15... As much as I love Lily and James, all my characters need some lovin'.

I'd like to thank my friend/aftermath editor for not reading last chapter yet, and therefore not finding any stupid and irrelevant "plotholes" such as James waiting too log for Sirius pr something like that.

Reviews, favorites and follows are all worth galleons, so if not for me, do it for the money :P


	5. Of a Black's Freedom and His Letters

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to the Queen - aka JK Rowling. I am just... borrowing them. Temporarily.

* * *

_So far__: Lily lost a teddy bear just as they were leaving school. James found it, and after much trouble on the train ride, she insults him and he throws it in her face. Lily and Sirius have discovered they do not hate each other. The summer begins._

Chapter 4

_Or_

Of a Black's Freedom and His Letters

_Dear Evans,_

_I feel odd writing to you, but I've already written two letters to __Moony__ Remus and __Wor__ Peter, and three letters to your arch-nemesis, Mr. Potter. I would hate to bother them further, especially since it _is_ only the second day of vacation. As I found that you are much more interesting than just an average, rule-abiding bird, I have decided to give this thing between us a shot._

_Shit. That sounded like a line. Rest assured, Evans, that I do not plan on getting in your pants. For one, the aforementioned Mr. Potter will definitely kill me in my sleep if I ever do, and secondly, I'm pretty sure you would too._

_Anyway, how's your summer been? Mine's been dreadful, in case you couldn't figure it out from the fact that I'm writing my eighth letter within two days. The old hag won't stop buggering, and the little one is being more annoying than usual. He received perfect grades, the brat. Then again, so did I, but I don't see her exactly bragging about my accomplishments. She's still in shock over the fact that I'm in the wrong house, I think._

_What are you planning this summer? You have a sister, right? What's she like? Is she fit?_

_That last one was a joke._

_Sirius Black the Humble_

* * *

_Dear Black, (the Humble, really?)_

_If you feel odd writing to me, it's nothing compared to how I feel writing to you. I hardly ever write letters during the summer, as my friends and I schedule at least three meetings in advance and keep doing so throughout the summer. In fact, the only letters I remember are those I write during the school year, and__ they__ are addressed to my parents. This feeling is very much worsened by the fact that just a few days ago, I wouldn't have answered your letter at all. You wouldn't have written me in the first place, probably. But if you must know, I have found that you're endurable. Don't tell anyone._

_When you say "the old hag", I assume you mean your actual old hag, and not your mother, of course. And James Potter, just to be clear, is __not__ my arch nemesis. I just think that he's a huge git, and I'm right, aren't I?_

_I'm glad you know that I would kill you if you ever try to get in my pants, by the way. But I would not be so kind as to do it in your sleep. I just hope you know that if you ever try to sleep with me, I am likely to torture you until you beg for death._

_Or something._

_I __am__ sorry for your bad summer. I know only as much as anybody else – the rumors about you are hard to avoid, you know – and that includes your dislike for your brother and the fact that you never go home for the holidays, unless you're going to Potter's, of course. I must say, I'm not having the best summer ever myself. My sister and I – well, you did ask – we don't get along. In fact, she pretty much hates me. But seeing my parents is good. I've missed them both very dearly – I didn't go back even once this year, at my sister's "request". She has this awful boyfriend she's been bringing over, apparently, at every single opportunity. His name is Samuel, which is a perfectly fine name, but the guy is simply atrocious. And he seems to be nothing more than a shell of a human being, too._

_Well, enough ranting for now. I think I'm going to let you actually receive this letter, and besides, I'm starving._

_I hope your summer improves,_

_Lily._

_P.S. I probably should have mentioned this in the letter itself, but besides meeting with my friends, I don't have any plans for this summer. What about you?_

* * *

Sirius Black wasn't the type to never leave his room. In fact, he was constantly moving – fidgeting, and flying, and running. Especially in the last year, when he had found that changing into a dog whenever he was running made it much easier.

But despite this, he had been lying, on his bed, in his room, for four days now, without so much moving a muscle, besides eating and visiting the loo.

Occasionally, he would choose a different book, or change the station on the radio.

He certainly never talked to anyone. But he could hear them. Merlin's pants, he could _feel_ them. They were walking around the house, so confident, so… terrible.

He hated them all, and perhaps he shouldn't have because they were family, but he did.

They didn't feel like family.

He remembered how at the end of last summer he had left the room covered in Gryffindor flags and anti-pureblood posters when he went to school. He wondered where that all went – it probably all got thrown straight to the bin by Kreacher, or shredded into nothingness with magic that his dear mother performed.

"Bitch," he murmured under his breath. "_You're a disgrace_", his mother's immediate and only letter had said.

But really, the fault was in them.

It had to be them.

* * *

_Dear Padfoot,_

_Would you __please__ stop sending me ten letters a day? I know how terrible it is over there, but really, you should just come visit me instead. I've been incredibly bored – if it weren't for Wormtail stopping by yesterday, I would be on my fourth book right now. Fancy going to Diagon Alley and maybe going to that ice cream shop you love so much? Tomorrow, elven o'clock? I'm simply going to assume the answer is yes, by the way, so don't, Agrippa's sake, stand me up. I'll be expecting you whether you send me a letter or not, Padfoot._

_Yesterday, by the way, was fine. We were both feeling too lazy to actually go anywhere, so we ended up playing chess. He beat me twice, and then we had lunch, and he beat me again, before we decided to take the board outside, where I beat him twice and he beat me thrice. Thrice is a word that mean three times, by the way._

_Do you know what's going on with Remus? He hasn't responded to my letters, and the full moon isn't till the ninth, two whole days from now. I checked._

_The worst of this summer is yet to come. But when this __heat__ passes, we'll all be okay, I'm sure._

_Prongs_

* * *

_Dear Prongs,_

_You're a git. Even __I__ remember that Moony is on that trip with his parents, and that they're not going to be back until the morning before the full moon, and I spend most of my time ignoring him. He'll probably send you a letter after the full moon. And again, even I didn't send him any letters after the first couple of days. And I know what thrice means. The fact that you just discovered the meaning of it today has nothing to do with __my__ intelligence. Git._

_I'll be there, by the way, with a purse full of any bit of money I can nick. I want to redecorate my room._

_Padfoot_

* * *

James had definitely endured a number of boring summers, but when, just a few nights after seeing him last, Sirius appeared on his doorstep at one A.M., he knew his summer wasn't going to be anything like previous ones.

He took a step forward. "What happened?" he asked, his voice cautious.

Sirius grinned, and his mouth was bloody. "My mum didn't approve of me _redecorating_." He paused and, no longer grinning, he added, "I'm never going back."

James nodded. "You know where the spare bedroom is," he said. "We'll talk to my parents – and clean you up – in the morning."

Sirius nodded gratefully, and, dragging his trunk, he started making his way up the stairs.

"Sirius?" James said suddenly.

Sirius turned around, his expression so tired it would have broken anybody's heart.

"Just so you know… I'm always here for you," he said quietly.

Sirius nodded. "I know. And…" he hesitated. "Me too. Definitely."

* * *

_Dear Lily,_

_I don't know when we switched to first name basis, but your last letter – with no less than __three__ "Sirius"-es appearing in it – has made this clear. Don't mind me, but I actually grew sort of fond of your last name, and I'm going to need to get used to using your first name when talking to you, and your last name when talking to __Pr__ James. I know, I know you hate him – and we really are jerks sometimes. It's amazing you're even talking to __me__ – but he is my best mate, and he, despite everything, does mention you every once in a while._

_I'm living with him now. Have been for a couple of weeks._

_It just sort of happened, really – his folks are my guardians now, too, and the information on how that happened has eluded me so far. I just – I couldn't stand being trapped there anymore, with that awful house-elf, and the self-entitled little one, and especially, I got so sick of my __mother__. So I hung up a bunch of Gryffindor flags, got a punch from my dearest dad, and splinched myself by disapparating to James' place. Really, it wasn't too terrible though, so don't lose your head worrying – we didn't even notice a bunch of my hair was missing until the next morning, when there was definitely less than usual. Really, my only regret is that I forgot my broomstick back at the old place. It was a __wonderful__ comet that I had received for my birthday from uncle Alphard._

_Anyway, James' place is nice, but boring. It's in this town called Godric's Hollow (yes, __that__ Godric), and you should really not bother trying to figure out if you've heard of it, because you haven't. There's only one other close magical family, a distant relative of your Alice – her last name __is__ Prewett, right? I didn't get that wrong? I did only speak to her for a few hours as a whole, but I seem to remember that being her surname._

_Anyway, I'm grateful for James' folks letting me stay here, but it's bloody boring, so I find myself searching for entertainment._

_As for your last letter – really quite funny, that incident with the "magical" spoon – I think you should have socked him instead of just letting it slide. He really seems like he could use a wakeup call. Merlin, he sounds more boring than Godric's Hollow._

_Anyway, are you going to be in Diagon Alley anytime soon? We should probably meet up for some ice cream. James' dad was clever enough to go get my money from Gringotts before my mother's hands got on it, so I'll pay. It'll be a celebration._

_To freedom!_

_Sirius the Magnificent_

* * *

_Dear Sirius (the Magnificent is really a bit much),_

_Sunday, 11 o'clock, The Leaky Cauldron. Don't bring Potter (though after the last time we spoke, I doubt he'd want to, and I don't believe that crap about him talking about me, either), but Remus or even Peter is fine. The girls – including Alice, whose last name __is__ in fact Prewett – and Frank and I are going to meet there._

_To freedom!_

_Lily._

* * *

The Evans lived in a nice, suburban house. It wasn't big, but it wasn't small, either; in fact, it was average in almost every way. It had a nice garden, and a nice sitting room, and a nice kitchen which was supplied well. It was in a nice neighborhood with nice neighbors, and every once in a while Mrs. Evans would throw a garden party, or a tea party, to which all were invited and at which most arrived. During the year, the younger daughter would go away to school, which was hardly uncommon.

Really, it was Lily herself who was odd, but the neighbors – even the nosiest ones – knew nothing of Lily's magic. Besides, that was not of import at the moment, as Lily couldn't use her magic during the holidays, and her hair was a mess. Lily's hair was a mess, and she had ten minutes before she would miss the bus that should take her to London. Tying it back in a careless ponytail that might hide the horribleness of it, she threw some money into a bag – both Muggle and wizard currency – and applied some lip balm. She found an empty bottle and headed to the kitchen downstairs to fill it up.

"Morning, Petunia," Lily said politely, heading straight for the tap.

"Morning," answered the tall teenage girl standing near the coffee machine. Silence followed, and only the sound of the machine, the water running from the tap, and the humming of the fridge could be heard.

"Well, I'm off," said Lily, grabbing a banana as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Where?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Lily turned around to face Petunia. Since when does Petunia care where and what Lily goes and does?

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Petunia elaborated, looking slightly irritated. "So I can tell Mum when she wakes up."

_Ah_, Lily thought. _Of course. I should have known_. "London," said Lily shortly. "And Mum already knows."

Petunia nodded. "Okay then." She returned her gaze to the coffee machine, and Lily left the room, slightly relieved that the conversation hadn't continued.

Immediately, she felt guilty. Had she just wished that Petunia _not_ speak to her, her own _sister_? Had she not, for the last five years, tried to make sure she maintained a healthy relationship with Petunia, as much as she could and as long as she could? She _couldn't_ lose her sister, she simply couldn't – they were _blood_.

She smiled at the bus driver and paid him – Merlin, Muggle money was so small, she had forgotten – and found a seat near the end of the bus.

Soon she would be back in the magical world, with her magical friends – and Sirius, whatever he was to her - even if only for a short period of time, and everything would be okay.

She was really looking forward to that ice cream.

* * *

_Dear Padfoot,_

_I'm incredibly sorry it's been so long since I wrote you – I just finished an incredibly long apology to Prongs as well, and I intend to write to Wormtail the __instant__ I finish with this letter._

_So, here are my excuses:_

_Firstly, I was on that vacation that I told you about – thanks for remembering, by the way, as it seems neither Prongs nor Wormtail remembered – and I had a great time, but I'll tell you more about that when we meet. Suffice to say, the second reason is there was a very kind Muggle girl who happened to be from London, and I'm sure you're going to be pissed, but I won't say anything else. For now._

_My third excuse is that I've been recovering from last month - and I haven't been able to catch up. It was actually worse than usual – and again, this isn't the format to explain this._

_Lastly, I got no less that __fifteen__ letters during the three-week period I haven't been answering my post. You might see how this would cause a reluctance to read and answer them all. So I've been procrastinating. When two more letters arrived, one from Lily – who, I understand, you're in touch with now as well? – and one more from James, I decided it was time to pick them all up and answer them all._

_So here are my answers to your questions:_

_No. Yes. Maybe. Last Tuesday. If I remember. Of course. It was a parrot, for your information, and I doubt that it __intended__ to step in the coffee._

_So anyway, congratulations on moving in with James. I'll be stopping by soon – is Thursday okay? – and we'll talk._

_Tell James that he's a prat. I told him so in my letter, but he should hear it more than once._

_Moony._

* * *

_Moony!_

_I cannot stress how thrilled I was to finally receive a letter from you. Or anyone, really. I met with Evans a couple of days ago, and that was great fun – James still insists I must be lying, but I swear it was – and James and I have done nothing but play Quidditch ever since I arrived, and I never thought I would say this, but I'm bloody sick of Quidditch, and the games the locals play don't include flying. Which is even more boring. Who wants to __run__ after a ball? The whole fun is __flying__._

_Anyhow, James' parents say that coming over on Thursday is fine. Mrs. Potter said that she would cook lunch, and Mrs. Potter's cooking is far from excellent, so you should definitely come very late. Though I would take her cooking over my mother's any day. And to be fair, her baking is top-notch, and so is her lasagna. Maybe you __should__ come in time for lunch. I'll make sure she makes lasagna._

_How dare you flirt with a Muggle girl and refuse to tell me any details! If you had never mentioned her, it would have been one thing… Rest assured, I will definitely question you further on Thursday._

_As for Lily – yes, we have been corresponding. I sent her a letter amidst my despair in the beginning of this summer, and she seemed to get the idea that I was interested in a continuing relationship. I have, despite my initial misgivings, given in to her advances – her __non-romantic__ advances, of course._

_James has terrible taste in music, by the way, did you know? He plays all this Muggle shite, says he likes the stuff. I keep having to change the station on the radio to something more interesting, like the Magpies. They're new stuff is __excellent__._

_See you on Thursday,_

_Sirius_

* * *

In his head, he called it the Morning After.

Sirius would probably think it was hilarious, but really, there was nothing worse than the Morning After, whether after drunken, regrettable sex, or after changing into a wolf.

As he staggered out of St. Mango's – they practically kicked him out of there, really – Remus realized he was about to be sick.

Yeah, the Morning After was definitely the worst.

* * *

_Dear Wormtail,_

_James and I are going to go to that ice cream shop I like again tomorrow. Would you like to join? I'm paying, as I've yet to celebrate with you and Remus. Speaking of Moony – he's coming too. Or at least, I assume he's coming. I've just sent the letter this instant._

_How's your mum? We haven't been over as much as usual this summer, so I feel like I should ask._

_Hope to see you tomorrow,_

_Sirius_

* * *

_Padfoot,_

_I'm tired too tired to right a full letter right now. Who sends a letter at ten p.m.?_

_Yes. Seeya._

_Peter._

* * *

Peter missed being at school. He was happy at home. Peter wasn't happy at home. His mum doted on him, and didn't mind that he was average. But he could tell that she was tired. That she wished he was _above_ average, like his friends. He could tell that she missed his dad.

So did he.

And his friends they really hadn't visited much that summer, and he felt… out of the loop.

His uneasiness was just that missing his friends, though. Right?

* * *

_Dear Sirius (the Fantastic is just pushing it),_

_There are less than three weeks left until term. I am, regrettably, informing you of my plans for the next two weeks: France._

_Yes, my mother insists that we all go to France, well, save for my dad. So we're going on a girls' trip to France, and I have to go, or I'll probably be disowned._

_No offence intended to you, of course. I am not trying to – well, you know what I mean._

_She really sprung this out on me in the middle of nowhere, so I'm writing quick letters to everyone and then – adios! Wait, that's the wrong language. How do you say goodbye in French? Did you learn French? I did in Primary, but I never listened in class._

_Anyway, I'm off to France. France! My mother is so desperate for Petunia and I to get along that she's willing to go to __France__ to make it happen. The situation is dire, my friend._

_So this is my goodbye (in English). I will see you on the train ride, accompanied by the rest of you troublemakers, no doubt. I already have Marlene picking up my stuff at Diagon Alley – so I won't see you there, either._

_To France!_

_Lily._

* * *

**A/N: **So finally, a Sirius-centric chapter! I love this format, I love this plot, is it okay for me to fall in love with my own chapter?

Speaking of falling in love - I'm sorry for the delay, but my computer simply stopped functioning. For the fifth time this year. So afterweeks of hell on earth (not having a laptop) - I have finally received a new computer! And that's where the falling in love part comes in, as this computer is absolutely fantastic. It's so wonderful, so amazing... God, I love this new laptop.

So I should return with the regular writing. :)

Calypso: Sirius is fantastic.

Shevi: Thank you so much for reading! 3

Paigeeykins: Thank you so much. Sadly, the other computer isn't really worth fixing, as it broke five times this year. But at least I have a new one! My mom is just wonderful, for buying this amazing, lovely laptop. It definitely did suck, yes.

So... onwards! I have a very clear image in mind of the next few chapters, I just have to get there... hopefully I'll update this weekend!

Reviews?


	6. Uneventful Train Ride and an Aloof James

**DISCLAIMER:** I, by no means, own Harry Potter, the world in which it occurs, or the characters that JK Rowling crafted - I just really really like to play make believe with them.

Nor do I own Kelly Clarkson and Christina Perri, whom I am thankful to for inspiration.

* * *

_So far: Lily and Sirius have been corresponding. Sirius moved in with James after a terrible fight with his family. The summer of '75 is ending._

Chapter 5

_Or_

Of an Uneventful Train Ride and an Aloof James

James Potter had never missed being alone before.

When at school, surrounded by other students and teachers and ghosts, he thrived. He loved being the center of attention, he loved being a star student and incredibly popular, he loved it all. Even the nights, sitting as Marauders and talking, were more exciting than summers. Perhaps it was because, growing up, he had almost no one his age to talk to, maybe it was because he was simply made that way, but he never wanted to be alone.

But ever since Sirius moved in, James came to the realization he would never be alone again. At least until Sirius moved out. And despite the fact that he loved Sirius like a brother – it was the last day of vacation, and for the last month he hadn't had a single day to himself, besides the day that he went to London to "hang out" with Evans. _How did _that_ happen, anyway?_

He was packing his things, sighing whenever his mind wandered back to Evans. He had made up his mind – he would let her be from now on, her and everybody else. He couldn't deal with his strange obsession anymore, and besides, the N.E.W.T.s were coming up, and he may have more or less breezed through his O.W.L.s, but he had a feeling that actually studying would be slightly more important this year.

_Did I forget anything? _he thought. A second later, he remember._ My broom!_

He left his room, intending to go straight to the shed and get it, but when he stepped into the garden, he found Sirius already flying on it.

And for the first time as far as he could remember, James missed being an only child.

* * *

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was just starting to fill with people when James and Sirius arrived. Scanning their surroundings, they spotted a few acquaintances, but no one they knew well, and so they continued to wander, waiting for someone to arrive.

"Sirius!" called a voice behind them. Turning around, they saw Lily head straight towards them. "Oh. Hi, Potter. I didn't see you."

"Hello, Evans," James said. "I think I'm going to find us a compartment," he added to Sirius.

"Are you sure –" Sirius began.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said, shrugging. "I'll see you later."

* * *

James did not given a second thought about leaving Sirius alone with Evans. Sirius didn't fancy her, Lily definitely didn't fancy Sirius, and besides, James didn't care anymore. Not about Lily Evans, with her red hair and legs and –

He was thinking of her again. Shit.

* * *

"So," Lily said once James had disappeared from sight completely. Something about James was nagging in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. "How was living in with Potter?"

"My best summer yet." Sirius smirked, tucking his hands in the pockets of his Muggle clothes. "How was your summer, Evans?"

She sighed dramatically, and speaking in a fake posh accent, she said, "Oh, absolutely dreadful. It was almost as if the world wasn't designed to please me and me alone."

His grin widened for a moment, but then shrunk into nothing. "I got your letter yesterday. I – Merlin, I'm terrible at this stuff – are you okay?"

She nodded. "I think Tuney is who needs to be worry about. I mean, I did break her up with her boyfriend." She grimaced. "I still think I did her a favor. I'm not even sure she liked the guy. But she was hurt, and after I –"

But her story, no doubt exciting and tearful at the same time, was interrupted by the sound of STGs: Screaming Teenage Girls.

"Lily!" the two STGs were yelling.

Lily whipped around, her long hair almost going into Sirius' nose. "Marlene! Dorcas!" she said, excitement clear in her voice. Both of the girls in question ran towards them, and one by one, they all hugged each other.

"Merlin, your hair, what did you –"

"It feels like ages, I can't believe it's been only –"

"How was that dinner, you never called –"

"Did you do something –"

"When did you –"

"How was France? –"

"Oh, it was just a week or so after –"

"Thanks for sending the books, I really –"

"It was nothing, really –"

"France was amazing, I'll tell you all about it at –"

Sirius was taken aback by the sheer amount of talking that was being done at the _same time_. "Didn't you just see each other, like, three weeks ago?" he asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Yeah, so?" asked Lily, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear. "A _lot_ can happen in three weeks – hell, even one week! And Marlene – you got a haircut! It's _adorable_."

Marlene blushed and played with her wristwatch. "I – well, I wanted change," she admitted. "I've been a little sick of everything – it's always the same."

Sirius huffed. "Not with me it isn't," he said pointedly. "Everything's an adventure, that's what I say. Almost everything can be made interesting." He paused, thinking for a moment, before adding, "Except History of Magic. Nothing can make Binns interesting."

"What about the couple of times he enters through the wall every year?" asked Dorcas.

"That lost its charm in, like, _first year_." Sirius shrugged. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Evans – you still need to tell me exactly how you got poor Samuel to quit – but I need to find Worm- Peter and Remus, and get them to whichever compartment James –"

"Yeah, yeah," Lily said. "Go to Potter, and enjoy. I am going to stay here, with people less despicable."

"Now, I wouldn't call James _despicable_ –"

"Who said I was talking about Potter?" she grinned. "Goodbye, Sirius."

Sirius waved them goodbye lazily and walked off.

* * *

It was going to be an uneventful train ride, but then fate intervened.

It was about two hours after the ride began that the brown owl made its way to train. Knocking its beak against the window, the teenage boy hurried to open it, completely unsuspecting at to the contents of the letter it carried. Once he saw who sent it, though, he read it quickly and left the compartment.

"Snape –" called a voice from behind him. Students grunted, probably from being pushed aside as the voice made his way to him.

"What, Mulciber?" asked Severus, not turning around.

"I got a message from – come in here, I don't think you'll believe it – "

Severus looked at the compartment Mulciber was trying to pull him into. "I'm not throwing out second years," he said quietly. "That's Potter's job. My compartment's just over there."

Mulciber was excited. He was good at hiding it, keeping his calm as he walked besides Severus, pushing students out of his way, as per habit. But Severus was even better at detecting his mood – excellent, in fact. And Mulciber – uncaring, cruel Mulciber – was very excited, and very happy.

Severus couldn't help but hate anything that made Mulciber happy, except for this one time. In this particular instance, Severus Snape didn't know what to think.

To all but two people, it was uneventful train ride.

* * *

The welcoming feast was always magnificent, the sorting hat was always met with applause, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was always introduced.

And Dumbledore always gave a speech.

"Now that you have all eaten to your hearts' content, I would like to welcome all of you to Hogwarts," he began, and the uppity chatter of the students died down. "Welcome, newcomers and old-comers alike. Welcome.

"I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Harold McMillian." A stout, slightly chubby man stood. There was a fair amount of clapping, and when it calmed down, Professor McMillian sat down, and Dumbledore continued. "Our caretaker, Filch, would like to remind you of the ever-growing list of banned items, which is now hanging in his office. There is also a new rule stating that you are not allowed to use magic in the hallways, after a couple of incidents last year which landed students in the hospital wing."

Suddenly, Lily noticed something odd about the teachers' table. There was not one, but _two_ new faces – Professor McMillian and a tall, long-faced witch, wearing red. _Who's she?_ She wondered, but before she voiced her inquiries to her friends, Dumbledore continued.

"First years should be aware that the forest on Hogwarts grounds is forbidden to all students. Some older students should be reminded of this fact as well." Dumbledore's eyes wandered around the hall, but landed, eventually, on James and Sirius, who were grinning up at him. Amusement flashed in his eyes, and once again, he continued.

"Lastly, I would like to introduce you all to Mrs. Hitchens. She is an Auror who has been placed at this school for its protection. If you see anything out of the ordinary, or if you receive any threat, you are encouraged to report it to Mrs. Hitchens immediately. Thank you.

"The prefects will now escort the first years to their dormitories. Good night, everyone. May your mind remind itself of facts that you have forgotten over the long, relieving summer vacation, and be filled with new ones."

Lily immediately turned to Dorcas and Marlene, who were both staring at their now-empty plates. "You know what this means, right?"

Marlene did not react, but Dorcas nodded.

"The war is getting worse."

* * *

"James, are you okay?" asked Remus, looking at James, who was still sitting by the table after most of everyone was heading out of the Great Hall.

"I'm fine," he said numbly. "It's nothing."

"Remus!" Lily's voice was heard clearly, echoing through the entire Hall. "We need to help guide the first years to the dormitories –" She was interrupted by a voice from behind her, and she turned around quickly, not noticing James.

"Go," James said, not a trace of his bitterness clear in his voice. "I wouldn't want you to neglect your duties for me, I'm not Sirius. The password's 'Dipetalous', right?"

"Yeah," Remus confirmed. "You sure –"

"I'm fine," James insisted. "In fact, I'm going. See me going? I'm going." He, in fact, started walking away, facing Remus still, so he didn't notice as he walked straight into Lily's back.

"Oh, sorry –" his eyes widened as he saw _who_ he had back into. "Sorry, Evans."

Quickly, he rushed away, ignoring anything she might have to say to him.

* * *

It was clear to Lily: James no longer liked Lily.

She didn't know what had made this happen – though she had a couple of theories – but she found that she didn't particularly like this idea. Last year she would have jumped on any opportunity to get him to stop annoying her, and as she made her way up the enchanted staircases, warning the first years to skip certain steps, she considered what could've spurred this change. Maybe it was that she'd grown used to his constant poking and prodding and his insistent asking her out, but she had a sneaking suspicion it was something else entirely.

She had given the password to the Fat Lady portrait and led the first years inside. She had shown them where their dormitories were, and explained that if they needed anything else, they could talk to any of the prefects of their house or the Head Boy and Girl. She had unpacked her things and made her way down to the common room to read, but had found herself incapable of doing so. The thought kept popping back into her head: James Potter no longer fancied Lily Evans. The arrogant prick who had, despite dozens of refusals, continued to ask her out and try to impress her for over two years, had given up.

She was deep in thought, pretending to read her book, for perhaps an hour. Sitting on her favorite chair which was near the fireplace and faced away from the stairs which leaded up to the dormitories, she found herself wishing herself back home, something she had never felt on the first day of school before. Then a distraction in the form of Sirius Black showed up and plopped itself on the chair in front of her. She waited for him to say something. He didn't. She went back to pretending to read her book, though she hadn't registered a single word in the last thirty pages or so.

"You're not actually reading."

Lily looked up from the book slowly, as if savoring the last words of a sentence – which she wasn't, as she had no idea what was happening in the narrative at all. "Huh?' she blurted after a couple of seconds. "I didn't catch that."

A knowing grin spread on Sirius' face. "You're not actually reading. You're very good at hiding it, almost as if – could it be? – you've done it before. But you're not actually reading. You're thinking about something."

"Sirius – I don't know what made you think that I wasn't, but I am definitely reading. So if you are willing, please go bother someone else. You have friends – I'm sure they're viable options." She rubbed her temples, as if just having him near her gave Lily a headache.

"Nah, they're not, actually," he said. "Pete's asleep already, Remus is talking to – I mean, he's ill, and James has asked for some 'alone time'. Whatever that means. So here I am, and here you are." He grinned once more.

"Ill? Already? We just got here!" she exclaimed. Sirius shrugged, and silence followed.

"Sirius?" Lily said suddenly, closing her book and placing it carefully beside her. "Why do you think we have a ministry worker in our school?"

"You mean Mrs. Hitchens?" Lily nodded, and Sirius closed his eyes, thinking. "I have no sodding clue," he admitted. "Something to do with the war. It's getting worse, you know."

Lily nodded, accepting this answer. "It's just, the War – it's been terrible for – for _years_. Its seeds were planted before I knew that I was a witch, before I was even _born_, and it's been a major hindrance in my life since the moment I stepped in Hogwarts castle. I –"

"Lily –" Sirius began, but then he shook his head and restarted. "Evans, this is all idiocy. It will – it _has_ to die down. Because shit like this can't stay this way forever. Like everything else, it goes away eventually. And, Evans –" He touched her shoulder now. "It's only a 'major hindrance' if you let it be. You're fucking talented, Evans. I've seen the things you can do, and I'm terrified of you. That's saying something, what with me being such a powerful dark wizard, according to the entire student body. And – yeah. I mean –"

"I get it," she interjected, smiling warmly. "Thank you, Sirius."

He nodded. "I'm going to walk away, and it's going to be very manly. When you think about this moment sometime in the future, you'll remember it very clearly: despite my girly touchy-feely speech, my _walk_ was _very_ manly. Understood?"

Lily nodded, grinning. "Of course. Understood."

"Night, Evans."

"Night, Sirius."

As he walked away, she asked herself if it would've been better if she had asked him about James.

* * *

**A/N:** I wrote this chapter and then went straight on to write the next two, so I had to edit it heavily before I could publish. I hope you guys like the final version. I'm still a little shocked that I have any recognition at all - my other story simply failed, but I also put much less energy into it.

_Calypso__**:**_I'm really glad you're following my story so closely. And thank you :).

_SiryII_: You nearly gave me a heart attack. I'm really glad you enjoyed my story, and my portrayal of the characters, and everything. And of course I don't want to get rid of you! I don't want to get rid of anyone. Except, maybe, my arch-nemesis, Finals.

So that's it for now. The next chapter should come soon and whether or not it does I'm gonna take a hiatus, as my first important test is this Monday and I really have to study. It's just a month - during which I'll probably post anyway, but not as frequently - and by July I'll be back. Pinky-swear.

Reviews literally make my day, and all the other things too.


	7. The Players

**Disclaimer:** None of these characters are mine except for Tally, and that's that. Thank you, Queen JK.

* * *

Chapter 6

_Or_

Of the Players

The sixth year boys' dormitory held six wizards.

James had dark hair which was cut short and yet still managed to point in all directions. His eyesight was terrible, and those hazel eyes of his had always been framed with glasses, or at least, since he was nine years old they had been. He was one of the most brilliant students to ever be admitted at Hogwarts, most likely, and he damn well knew it. The Quidditch captain since fifth year, and unofficial leader of the Marauders, he was known throughout the school for his epic pranks – and among the younger classmen he was feared for the very same reason.

Sirius was a Black, and that meant something – especially since even though he was in Gryffindor, his brother was in Slytherin. He was devilishly handsome, and his long hair, wit, winning smile and badass attitude made many girls swoon, though he didn't like to, in his own words, "limit himself to one girl alone." He was brilliant at everything he put his mind to, and casual about it, and had more detentions than half of the student body combined.

Peter was an average student in everything but Charms, where he was above average, and Care of Magical Creatures, where he excelled. Within the Marauders, he was known for thinking up the ideas of some of their best schemes, and that they held him in high esteem meant that others did too. He was by no means miserable, and by no means highly popular. Really, he was just a pleasant person to be around, with a sense of self-awareness that could lead to an extremely amusing conversation – if you were willing to listen.

Remus was an oddball. A prefect, straight-laced (at least by Marauder standards), many people wondered what Potter and Black saw in him. And then again, many didn't. He had a quiet, dry sense of humor and a knack for complicated spells, and that he managed to get such good grades even though his mother was so ill constantly was a sign of his merit.

Cameron was pale and short. He had dark, thick glasses which he should have really worn more, and generally smiled a lot and talked little. He had an annoying habit of touching people's shoulders, and his laugh was absolutely contagious. He loved Herbology and Potions, but did very poorly in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and everybody in the school had heard of that one time in Third Year when he – well, he didn't really like to talk about it.

Dan was a Muggleborn. He was a talented Keeper, but was frequently sick, and that had caused James to begrudgingly kick him off the team this year, much to the dismay of everyone involved. He loved scarves, and had many of them – far too many scarves to be considered healthy.

In this dorm room, all were equal – and the Marauders were above.

* * *

The sixth year girls' dormitory held five witches.

Lily had red hair and green eyes that were a kind of trademark around the school. She was lively and funny and popular, and very talented in charms and potions. She loved laughing and talking and was generally considered happy and loved. She was known for many things, but what had stood out for all these years was her friendship with Severus – and James Potter chasing her relentlessly, of course.

Marlene, much like her brother, had a pale complexion and blonde hair that used to reach the middle of her back, but now, barely reached her shoulders. She was tall and lean, and something about her felt trustworthy. At the beginning of her third year she had known many secrets – more secrets than any thirteen year old should know – but had never told one about anyone but herself. She was naturally quiet and shy when talking to strangers, but was also fiercely loyal to her friends.

Dorcas, with her dark hair and dark complexion, was somewhat Marlene's opposite: loud and opinionated, she was hardly shy or closed off. She had a quick temper to match her quick smile, and her comments were usually dripping with sarcasm. She was not the most "girly" girl to ever live, but she was passionate, which often passed as shallow. She was verbal and clever, very clever, a top student in her year.

When people met Mary, their first impression was that she was tall. She was very beautiful, and somehow she succeeded in making even the ugly school uniform robes look good. She almost always wore heels, despite the fact that she was already over a meter-seventy; that's what gave her the tallness-quality, which was so vital to her figure. She was, in a sense, a queen bee; Hogwarts houses be damned – students from all houses appreciated and admired her. Very few people knew anything concrete about Mary at all, in fact, besides the fact that she was Muggle-born, and yet, she was constantly in the spotlight, wanted by everyone.

Tally, on the other hand, was one of the blandest people you'd ever meet. Her face was so natural most people forgot it immediately, and she was not the type to call attention to herself. She maintained a deep crush on Sirius which the entirety of Gryffindor Tower, save for the man himself, knew about. She was sarcastic and mean when talking to strangers or people she didn't particularly like, but interesting and sometimes incredibly funny when talking to her best friend, Mary.

The dynamics in this dorm room were quite odd: It was as if two mini-camps had formed during the past five years, one consisting of Mary and Tally, and the other of the remaining trio. It was awkward, at times, but usually, they didn't argue too much. Tally would say something vicious and Dorcas would lash out. Mary would drop subtle hints about some secret and so would Marlene. Lily generally tried to be friendly with everyone, but had found herself disliking Tally more and more as time went on. But the air was usually peaceful.

* * *

On the first night, there was nothing wrong.

On the second, something was off.

On the third, things were calming down.

On the fourth night, things were heating up, but nobody was willing to say anything.

On the fifth night, things blew up. Figuratively, thank God.

It would only get worse from there.

* * *

**A/N:** Not really a chapter as much as the next chapter was too long, but there you go. Next chapter is crazy - a lot happens in it.

So yeah, I said I wouldn't post here, but I finished my second round of studying (out of three) for this test, and this is my choice of procrastination. So you benefit from my failing my finals. YAY!

SiryII: I'm sorry, but you're going to need to wait a bit on James. I'm trying to write about every single character, and even though James is of course important, he won't be too centric in the next chapter. I am sorry - but James will be back, and he'll come back strong, right after that. Thank you for your support, BTW - I'm going to need any bit of help I can get for this Monday, and even more for the Sunday after that. I hope I'll actually be able to study for that one.

I need some James/Lily fanfic, guys. I seem to have read every single popular one, so can you guys by any chance recommend me some lesser-known ones? I'm going crazy with all of this studying. If you don't know any Jily, I am more than content with Dramione. I just need some fic in my life.


	8. The Day It All Blew Up

**Disclaimer:** If I owed Harry Potter I would either be JK Rowling or to some extent, wb, and since I am neither, I probably don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in that universe. The plotline is basically my own, except for where I steal. JK.

* * *

_So far:__ Remus got a girlfriend over vacation. The summer is over, and after a fairly uneventful train ride, everyone arrives safely at Hogwarts. There is a ministry Auror positioned at Hogwarts, though the reasons for this remain unclear. Sirius and Lily's friendship continues to grow. Lily is sure that James no longer fancies her, and can't figure out why this bothers her. James, for the first time in his life, does not wish to be around people anymore._

Chapter 7

_Or_

Of the Day It All Blew Up

(The first night)

"I'm going to shower now," announced Lily the moment she entered her dorm.

"Dorcas is already in," said Marlene from her bed, and flipped a page in her book. She was lying flat on her stomach, her feet pointed at her pillow, and looked up briefly when Lily sat on her bed, which was on Marlene's right. "And Tally said she's next before she left, but if she doesn't come back before you, you can probably go in and pretend you never heard anything of it."

Lily nodded and took off her shoes, messaging her feet slightly before lying face down on her bed. "I don't want to start school tomorrow," she complained. "I just want to stay in my bed for the rest of eternity. Is that even an option? Can it be an option?"

Marlene laughed, carefully placed a bookmark in her book and then shut it, changing her position so she faced Lily. "Sadly, not quite yet. When I'm prime minister, though, I'll definitely make going to school on the first day illegal, which would make the second day the first day, which would be illegal, and so on and so forth…" A dreamy expression appeared on her face. "And then there would be no studying, ever again. Wouldn't that just be brilliant?"

"Definitely," said Lily. "Alice said that Frank is going absolutely ballistic about studying this year, and that he's barely paying any attention to her."

"They are trying to get into the Auror department," Marlene reminded her. "She should probably be a little more focused herself."

"On the first week of school?"

"Fair point."

They lay there for another moment before the door to the bathroom opened and Dorcas came out. Lily jumped up and ran straight into the shower, almost forgetting to Magick her things to follow her into the bathroom.

It was a very relaxing shower._ God, the water pressure at Hogwarts is _wonderful, thought Lily. _I'd forgotten._

When she came out, Tally and Mary were discussing something hurriedly and quietly on the latter's bed. She gave them a curious glance before switching into her night garments and plopped herself into bed with a novel.

Lily fell asleep shortly thereafter, and only in the morning did she hear about the spectacular spider they found just outside the windowsill.

* * *

Remus Lupin was ready for whatever they could throw at him. He wouldn't bulge, no matter what they said or did; he refused to give in.

"Come _on_, just tell us something – anything. What's her favorite band. The color of her hair," suggested Sirius.

"Whose hair?" asked Dan Fletcher, entering the dorm just at the right time. He was the tallest in the dorm, with sandy hair and dark eyes and complexion that fit an American more than a London boy, and yet there you go. "And why would we be asking Lupin in the first place?"

"I'm not telling," said Remus, and he was answering both boys.

"Remus got a _girlfriend_ over the summer, and he won't share the details," teased James. "Sirius is pissed, because all he's gotten out of him was that they met on the beach, and that they promised to write each other, given that at his _very Muggle school_ they don't allow – what did you call it again?"

"Phones," supplied Remus.

"I reckon you made her up," said Peter. "So you could get Sirius off your back for never having gone on a second date in your life. But it seems to have backfired," he added.

Remus made a face and said, "It really isn't any of your business. I regret even mentioning it in the first place."

"See?" said Peter, pointing at Remus. "He's making up excuses, can't even keep a straight face. He's pulling one on us."

"Merlin's beard," said Sirius. "Just end this torment and _tell us something about her_."

Remus sighed and rubbed his forehead, as if he had a headache coming on. "Her name is Natalie. She likes The Beatles" – Sirius made a face – "and she has auburn hair. Good enough for you?"

"Aren't these beetles a Muggle band?" asked Sirius.

"She's a Muggle," James reminded him.

"Yeah, but still," shrugged Sirius.

"And now that you have gotten some information out of me," announced Remus, "I'm going to bed."

* * *

(The second night)

"MOVE, YOU MORON!"

Sirius was glaring at his chess-set. One of the rooks was staring at him defiantly, and James was trying not to laugh his head off.

Mary made her way through the crowd gathering around the chess game, pushing people aside as she did so. "Sorry, Alice."

Even though James and Sirius regularly played each other, people rarely missed the change to watch. The reason behind this was simple: Nobody played chess like these two played chess.

For one, both of them cheated. They were both quite terrible, and so they Confunded each other, did more than one move in their turn, and consulted Remus and Peter, who were both very good at the game.

Secondly, after an incident in second year, they never used their own set. Sometimes they bought a new chess set which would last about a month, typically, but usually they borrowed other people's chess sets (mostly first and second years' sets, as the older students refused to risk their sets), and this caused quite a lot of frustration, due to the fact that the sets did not trust either of them.

Thirdly, eventually, the chess set would be abandoned for a more physical approach to their "battle of wits" – that is, it inevitably turned into a fist fight.

But Mary wasn't interested in the game. She needed Sirius for something.

"Sirius, I need you to come with me," she said, breathless.

"I'm a little busy at the moment," he said absent-mindedly, repeating his order. "ROOK TO E3. ROOK TO E3. ROOK TO- ah, fuck it. What is it?" He looked up to see Mary standing in front of him, looking like a knight of hell.

"Sirius, I need you to come with me," she repeated. "NOW."

* * *

"What is it?" Sirius asked. Mary and he were sitting in an empty classroom on the second floor, he on a desk, and she in a desk. "It seemed pretty serious for you to –"

"Tally-is-going-to-use-a-love-potion-on-you," she said quickly.

"What? Why?" Sirius blinked, then repeated, "What?"

"Tally is going to use a love potion on you," she repeated, slightly slower. "She ordered it yesterday. So just – don't go anywhere near any food that she's – you know."

He blinked again, then asked, "Why does she want to use a love potion on me? Why doesn't she just – ask me out?"

Mary sighed, as if he was an idiot for even asking that question, and stood so she was looking him in the eye. "Well, she couldn't just ask you out, obviously," she explained. "It would be a terrible embarrassment for her. But if _you_ asked _her_ out, it would be fine."

Sirius looked incredulous. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Mary shrugged. "I didn't say it has to make sense to you. But believe me when I say, in Tally's eyes it makes perfect sense."

"Oh. Okay." He thought for a moment before saying, "Thank you."

Mary smiled warmly. She looked around and realized that somehow, they had gotten so close their noses were practically touching. She pulled back suddenly, said, "You're welcome," and then she walked out of the classroom.

* * *

"What were you doing, talking to Sirius?" demanded Tally the moment Mary walked into the dormitory later that evening.

"What?"

Rally repeated herself and added, "You didn't tell him –" she stopped herself just in time, as both Lily and Dorcas were in the room, and though both seemed focused on their homework, it was entirely plausible this was not the case, it being only the first week of school and all.

"Of course not," said Mary curtly. "I'm going to shower now."

As Mary closed the door behind her, it occurred to everyone in the room that Mary had never actually said what she was doing with Sirius.

* * *

(The third night)

"_Dear Remus,_

_I looked up your name. It sounded familiar, and since you were refusing to tell me anything __interesting__ about you, I went and asked my librarian._

_Turns out, your namesake was raised by a wolf and then co-founded Rome. Isn't that __cool__? Imagine. Being __raised by a wolf__ and then founding one of the most famous cities ever. I'd like to visit Rome, you know, always have._

_So you're Wolf-Man. Sounds like a superhero name, doesn't it –_"

"STOP!" cried Remus, grabbing at the letter Sirius was reading out of. "Just stop – you have no right!"

"Quite the contrary, Remus," laughed Sirius, sprinting away from him. "I do believe that the letter was open for all to see, was it not?"

"Git!" Remus yelled, and reached for his letter once again as Sirius threw the letter to Peter, who caught it, and tossed it to Cameron, who held it, eyeing it with suspicion. "I don't know if I should trust this," Cam admitted, as he walked over to Remus and handed it to him. "Are you sure you're corresponding with a _female_, mate?" Remus made a face, but took it nonetheless.

"I've got one question, mate –" began James, who was lying on his bed nonchalantly. Remus shot him a warning look. "Woah, Remus, I just wanted to ask what a superhero was."

"Oh." He looked slightly surprised, then laughed and said, "A superhero is a character in a –"

"SHHHHHH," said Sirius. "WE DON'T CARE."

"Actually –" began James.

"What we _do_ care about," continued Sirius, ignoring James, "is your girlfriend. Your first girlfriend. Whom we've never seen even a picture of."

"True, and you never will," announced Remus.

"I'm with you, Remus," said Peter, laughing. "If Sirius gets ahold of a picture of her, he might find her. For both your and her sake, you don't want him to get to her."

The room's playful banter continued into the small hours of the night. It was a good night, and every member of the dorm remembered it as such for a long time.

* * *

"What the bloody hell," asked Lily as she sat on Marlene's bed, "does McGonagall think? That we're superhuman or something? All this work – and it's only the second day of school!"

"Yeah, well, she doesn't really care, I guess," yawned Marlene. "What really annoys me is that we have to do all of this – this – nonverbal magic – but I can't grasp it at all."

Dorcas shrugged, looking smug. "I managed it today," she confided. "I did it twice, at the end of Charms."

Lily grinned, not bothering to tell them she had been able to do nonverbal charms since the end of the previous year. She, Severus, and James Potter, as she found out, next to that lake… But yes, it would do only harm to her friends' egos to tell them that she had this ability for so long.

"That's great!" she said. "I managed to do it once or twice too, actually. It was very satisfying, I think."

"God, I'm tired," said Marlene, falling backwards dramatically, straight into her plush pillow. "We've been here just over two days! How does that even happen?"

"School," answered Dorcas.

"True," she sighed. "Okay, guys, get off my bed. I'm going to sleep early while I still have the chance."

"Sleep early, die young, stay pretty," sighed Lily, giggling.

* * *

(The fourth night)

There were four girls in the room at the moment. Two of them were talking to each other, the third was working on an essay, and the fourth had just finished getting dressed.

"Has anyone seen my hairbrush?" asked Mary.

"Nope," said Lily.

"No," said Dorcas.

Tally, being the only other person in the room, didn't say a word.

Mary continued her search.

"Tally, is that my hairbrush?" she asked, pointing at the handle of what was, in fact, her hairbrush, peeking out from Tally's trunk. Tally continued to ignore her, and Mary continued to point. Her finger began to shake, then her whole arm, until finally her entire body was shaking with fury, her face so red it was practically glowing.

"Tally, why did you take my hairbrush?" she said with a dangerously low voice.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked, her quill continuing to run across the parchment.

Mary paused for a second, and she looked like she was about to explode. But she managed to calm herself down, and said, her voice barely audible, "Because it's mine."

"Was it? Well, I was under the impression that we were sharing everything, now," Tally said. "I'm going to bed early. Goodnight." She straightened up, turned off her light, and climbed into bed, all the while, Mary was staring at her in shock, until finally, she ran out of the room, her hair still unbrushed.

Lily thought that Mary should have probably known better than to hold Sirius' hand this morning. It could have been friendship, of course – God knows it could be friendship – but not with Sirius, and certainly not with Mary.

Never with Mary.

* * *

Their bodies slammed against each other. Their mouths merged and their hands explored each other, and then Mary pulled away.

"What's going on?" asked Sirius, looking worried. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and asked, "Why did you stop?"

"I'm such an idiot," she mumbled.

Sirius looked taken aback. "What? No you're not! At least," he amended, "not to the best of my knowledge."

"I'm such an idiot," she repeated. "I'm here with you, snogging you, instead of dealing with my problems."

Sirius shook his head. "I think that's a brilliant way to deal with your problems. In fact, instead of talking, let's continue, I hear it really helps to sort out aggression and shit."

Mary shook her head in return. "My problem involves you, obviously."

Sirius looked mildly annoyed now. "But is it obvious? Is it really?"

Mary ignored him, and continued. "Tally has been my best friend since the moment I got here. We know each other so well I could probably tell you what she ate for breakfast depending on the day of the week. And I knew she had a major crush on you, and _I told you_, and then I _went on and started snogging you_." She grimaced. "That's not particularly best-friend-like.

"But you're _fit_, and I've never – never – stopped myself from taking something I wanted before, at least, as long as it was available. And she never – she never took you. But I don't want to hurt her."

"Are you asking for my opinion or are you ranting at me?" Sirius said.

"Neither. Both. I don't know." She sank into one of the nearby chairs and stared into her empty hands.

"Well, since the latter is already done, I think I'm going to give you my opinion," he said. "And that is – I'm not relationship material. So – you might as well break up with me."

She looked up at him, looking confused.

"I know what it's like having a best friend you know through and through," he explained, shrugging. "Even though you're fit, you're just a bird, and I'd give you up for a second if James was in the way. And you should feel the same way about me - and Tally. And if she's not fine with us – "

"I might as well break up with you," she finished. He nodded.

"Okay then." She took a deep breath. "Sirius Black – I am breaking up with you, mostly due to the fact that you're too noble. Who ever thought that would happen?"

He grinned. "Certainly not my mother."

* * *

(The fifth night)

"YOU'RE BEING RIDICULOUS!"

"WELL YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MY BEST FRIEND!"

"AND I BROKE UP WITH THE GUY FOR YOU! BECAUSE YOU ARE!"

There was a battle going on in the Gryffindor common room. It was one like none other: mostly, since nobody actually knew what it was about, except that it involved two of the most popular people in school – and the best friend of one. People gathered around, as slowly, pieces of them unraveled.

"WELL YOU DIDN'T BLOODY WELL SHOW IT!" Tally was furious, her skin pale as marble.

In absolute contrast, Mary was red, so red, her brown locks looked almost black in comparison. "I BROKE UP WITH HIM FOR YOU, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT THAT? I just –" she stopped screaming, panting. Tears were running down her face, and she rubbed at her eyes constantly.

"Well," said Tally, coolly, "you might as well get back together with him. We're no longer best friends, anyway." And she turned her back to her.

Mary had never felt anything quite like the pain that stabbed her chest at that moment, nor would she ever again.

It's a very unique feeling, being betrayed by your best friend.

* * *

**A/N:** So how did you like that ending, eh? I felt like it was time I reference canon a bit. This chapter was very frustrating because it focused so heavily on a non-canon character, and I was slightly lost, but then I found myself again. My only problem with the chapter is the make out scene - but thankfully, I had made a creative choice for it to sound gross, so just so you know, it was _purposely_ terrible.

Calypso: Thank you so much for your recommendations, and every single one you mentioned that I hadn't read yet I went and read, so thank you so much. I love Bloody ShangriLa, don't you?

SiryII: Your wait is almost over, so the patience need not last for much longer! The next isn't James-_centric_, perse, but it features him heavily. I have Tuesday till the weekend off of school, so I'm going to try to write heavily and edit, and hopefully you'll receive the chapter soon enough! As for the matter of FF - My dad reads German fluently, maybe he could translate it for me... but alas, I live in a boarding school, so even if that notion wasn't ridic, it wouldn't work. Sadly, however, I have read, or at least looked at Boyfriend already - I didn't like it much. If memory serves, it was a first person fic, and I'm not fond of that type of FF, unless told via diary.

My technical issues continue, this time with the N key falling off, but it still works, so I march on. Keep the reviews flowing - they give me inspiration. On the other hand, maybe you shouldn't until Monday, what with how I have a major test on Sunday...

* * *

Just in case I don't update for a while, here's a little excerpt from next chapter:

_"Let's throw a party," said Remus._

_They all looked at him in shock. "Padfoot, check my pulse," said James. "I think I just died of shock."_

* * *

Definitely not updating until I get any reviews. So if you're even mildly curious as to what happens next chapter -

Just saying.


	9. A Party and Change

**Disclaimer:** Pfff. As if I own anything here.

* * *

_So far__: Mary and Sirius got together, much to the dismay of Tally, who's been harboring an old crush on Sirius. After Mary breaks up with Sirius for the sake of their friendship, Tally and she have a fight. Sirius and Lily became close friends, and James decided that he would start leaving Lily alone. Marlene needs a change. Mulciber and Severus received a mysterious letter._

_**A/N:**__ In the Harry Potter novels themselves it is mentioned that Mary was attacked by Mulciber, sometime before the Lake Incident, most likely. As this is vital for this chapter, I will also add that I assume it happened during fifth year, and near the end of it too, or some parts of this chapter don't really work as well._

Chapter 8

_Or_

Of a Party and Change

(Part 1: How It Came To Be)

"We've only been here for four weeks and I'm already bored out of my mind," said Sirius. "Let's prank someone."

"I don't feel like it," said James.

They were sitting near the lake, relaxing as the sun washed over them in the warmth of a Saturday morning.

"Besides, last week was the full moon," said Peter. "I'm not even fully recovered from that yet."

"Let's throw a party," said Remus.

They all looked at him in shock. "Padfoot, check my pulse," said James. "I think I just died of shock."

"I think Peter should check both of our pulses, actually," replied Sirius. "Remus, did you just _suggest_ that we throw a party?"

Remus shrugged.

"Okay then," said James. "I guess we're throwing a party."

* * *

(Part 2: James Can't Help Being a Hero)

She wasn't used to walking alone yet. She didn't want to walk alone.

Last year, after the incident, she never, ever, walked alone. Once – once she did. It was absolutely terrifying. She thought every person she saw was going to attack her. And she had good reason to. There was no reason for Mulciber to attack her last year in the first place.

Besides the fact that she was Muggle born.

Mary clutched her books tighter to her chest, and hurried her pace. For some reason, the hallways were unusually empty. If there were people around, she could forget herself, somehow. Being alone always brought the possibility of remembering, and she didn't want to remember. She didn't want to relive being so helpless and alone.

She turned a corner, and sighed with relief when she saw someone familiar. "Marlene!" she yelled, waving at her gratefully. Marlene turned around, and her look of confusion only got more pronounced when she saw it was Mary who had called her name. She halted, waiting for Mary to catch up with her. "Mary," she said as a way of greeting.

"Mind if I walk with you?" said Mary, breathless. "You have Herbology now too, right?"

"Yeah, sure," shrugged Marlene, admittedly confused, but still good naturedly.

She turned around and resumed her slow pace, passing very few other students when they took a left, and then a right, and then another right.

"Shouldn't we have taken a left?" asked Mary, looking passed her shoulder. Perhaps this wasn't the best way.

"I know a shortcut," reassured her Marlene. But about three minutes later, they hit a wall. "This wall wasn't here yesterday," observed Marlene.

"No, it wasn't," said a sinister voice behind them.

Marlene turned at once, but Mary, for a moment, stayed fixated on the wall.

This was everything she feared would happen. She knew it – Tally had been her protective shield for so long, she should have known the moment there was no Tally, something would happen.

Mulciber, and a vicious-looking fifth year Slytherin, were standing behind then.

"Mulciber," hissed Marlene, and when Mary finally turned around, she realized Marlene had already taken out her wand. This situation was only getting worse and worse.

"No magic in the hallways, McKinnon," sneered Mulciber, his wand out as well. Within a moment the fifth year's wand was in the open too.

She shrugged. "Yeah, you too. Maybe we'll just both keep it on the hush hush when I curse you to oblivion."

"Maybe you won't be _around_ after I finish with you to _tell_ on anybody," he said.

Mary took a step backwards – into the fake wall behind her. _Oh no,_ she said. _Trapped._ Her mind repeated that one word like a mantra: Trapped. Trapped. _Trapped._

She was so afraid. So afraid.

And then James Potter's voice came from, seemingly, nowhere. "Mulciber," he started. "I know for a fact that you're missing Transfiguration right now. In fact, all of the first years are about halfway through their class already."

Mulciber and the fifth year turned around, and the wall behind Mary flickered for a moment. "We can take you, Potter," spat the fifth year.

"It's three against two, Mulciber, but I alone am worth more than the two of you, anyway," said James. "I think you might as well just run along."

Mulciber looked around, and apparently came to his sense. "Fine," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

The wall disappeared the moment the Slytherins did.

"Are you two alright?" asked James, a concerned look in his eyes.

Mary nodded meekly, but Marlene said defiantly, "What do you think you were doing?"

"Uh," said James.

"We don't need a hero to save us, thank you very much," she said. "I was dealing with it – and I was just as able as you are – and Mary, oh my God, I totally forgot, are you _okay_?"

It had occurred to Marlene that Mary might not be okay, but James had already gone over to her by the time Mary collapsed, balling her eyes out. "Shh, it's okay," he murmured. "C'mon, we'll go to the infirmary, get you a sleeping potion – I'll talk to McGonagall later. C'mon." He helped her up and started walking with her in the direction of the infirmary.

"Not very Gryffindor of me, huh?" she mumbled.

"Are you kidding?" asked James, just as Marlene caught up with them. "In your situation, I would've broken down about the second I saw Mulciber."

And even though he was blatantly and obviously lying, Marlene very much appreciated James at that particular moment.

* * *

(Part 3: A Drunken Kiss)

There was so much alcohol.

Marlene was not unaccustomed to alcohol. The occasional party here and there, and the few times Lily, Dorcas and she had raided Dorcas' dad's liquor cabinet and got drunk, had made sure of that. But never had Marlene seen _quite_ so much alcohol before.

"Hey, are you okay?" said a voice beside her. Marlene looked up, startled by the unexpected question. It was Mary, beautiful Mary, and she was holding hands with a boy much shorter than her, which she was pretty sure was a Hufflepuff. She wondered vaguely where Sirius was. She wondered if Mary was okay, with the whole Tally deal. She wondered if she was okay, after what happened yesterday.

"I'm fine," Marlene assured her, not asking for the Hufflepuff's name. "I'm just feeling a little sick. I think I'm going up early."

"Okay," Mary said, shrugging. "If you're sure."

Marlene started making her way through the dense crowd – not all of these were Gryffindor, they couldn't be, right? – and was halfway to the stairs when someone reached from her left and grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going?" the voice whispered in her ear, smelling of alcohol and aftershave.

She shivered and looked at him. "James!" she gasped.

"Marlene," he said, his grin too wide.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Where are you going?" he countered.

She smiled too. Perhaps the Firewhiskey she had already consumed had gotten to her head, or perhaps James' smile was too wild and intoxicating. "To get a drink," she said, changing her mind as she spoke.

Perhaps staying down here wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

It was about an hour later when she realized she was drunk.

"I – I – I am so _pissed_," she laughed. For some reason, the idea was ridiculous to her, or at least, ridiculously hilarious.

"Yes you _are_," laughed James. "And so am I."

They were sitting at the top of the stairs, near the empty seventh years' boys dormitory. James had nicked a bottle of Firewhiskey – never matter that it was _his_ bottle, technically – and they'd been passing it back and forth for the past thirty minutes. It was cold, and Marlene found herself shivering, but every gulp of Firewhiskey spread more warmth in her, so she didn't say anything. James noticed anyway, observant despite his near-drunkenness.

"Are you cold?" he asked, slightly slurring. He wasn't wearing a coat – but they were a floor above his dormitory, and he could easily go to his room –

Oh, his room. Marlene was definitely drunk, as the mere thought made her think…

"Mar-_lene_," he said. He pronounced it funny, as if there were three syllables, not two. "Are you… Are you…" he frowned. "I don't remember what I was saying."

What she was about to do was a terrible idea. One of her best friends _hated_ him, and she was drunk, and she was lonely, and she was going to regret it in the morning. And despite all of this she knew she didn't care. Because he was funny, and generous, and fucking _fit_, and even if Lily couldn't see it, he really could be very kind, even if sometimes he made stupid mistakes like saving girls who didn't need to be saved. And he wasn't as much of a git as he was, say, last year – he was changing, becoming a better person.

Marlene McKinnon kissed James Potter, and after a second, he kissed her back.

* * *

(Part 4: Sirius Black is… Well, Sirius Black)

Lily must have heard at least thirteen versions by the time she reached first period Monday morning (double Potions). But there was one common thread strung through every single one of them:

Marlene McKinnon and James Potter. Together.

Neither of them were at breakfast, and that only made the whole thing seem more plausible.

Her mind whirled around the entire time she prepared the Alihotsy Draught. She mixed in the wrong direction, added the ingredients at the wrong time, and halfway through had to vanish the potion and do it again, though slightly rushed. The whole time, she found herself sneaking looks at James Potter, who was _not_ looking at her, thank God, and was focused on his potion, which was green instead of blue. Remus went over and started helping him, and just then Sirius raised his gaze – and saw her staring at James. His eyes flicked back and forth between the two, and a wicked grin appeared on his face. She blushed and focused on her potion, which was almost done. The blue fumes weren't quite in the right shade when she handed it in, but she figured that she was always okay when it came to Slughorn.

She rushed out of class, glad that she had a free period now. She set her pace towards the library, where there would be, hopefully, peace and quiet.

"Lily!" called the voice of Sirius behind her.

She slowed down slightly, but was still walking rather quickly when he caught up with her.

"Hi, Sirius."

"Heya, Lily," said Sirius. "Say, was that you – did I catch you _staring_ at my best mate _James Potter_, today?"

She hastened her pace. "Nope."

He grinned and matched her speed. "You're a terrible liar."

She blushed. "Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are t-"

"Okay!" she said, stopping dead in place. "Fine, yes, I was staring at Potter. I was wondering whether he and Marlene, one of my best friends who neglected to say anything to me, were in fact making out last night, and I'm very confused at the moment about this whole thing, really. So – "

"You're ranting, Lily," said Sirius quietly. "If it means anything, I was sure James still fancied you."

Lily opened her mouth to respond – probably to say that James hadn't fancied her since the beginning of the year _at least_, and to say that really, he hadn't asked her out since last year, how could he not tell, and then to start ranting again – but then Severus appeared.

"Lily, can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

Lily scoffed. "Yeah, sure." She didn't move a muscle.

"_Alone_," he said. "Please."

"Sirius can hear anything you have to say to me," she said coldly.

"Lily," he said, his voice still low. "I knew that you and Black here were _friends_ – " he didn't seem particularly happy for her – "but I was unaware that you now _fancied_ Potter. Is it because he finally gave up on you – "

"I _don't_ fancy Potter," she said. "Not that I see how it's any of your business," she added. "Unless we were friends again without my knowledge? I don't think we were, actually. So maybe you should go."

"Well, I was just worried – Potter's a jerk, you know that – and – "

"Oi, Snivellus," said Sirius. "The bird said that you should go."

"Stay out of this, _Black_, it's none of your business – "

"As you're talking to _my _friend about my _best friend_, I think that it's all of my business – "

"As if you care about anyone – "

"That's it –"

And suddenly wands were out, for the second time in three days.

"Sirius," said Lily. "Please don't."

"Lily," mocked Severus. "He's a jerk, you know that – did you forget already – "

"I wasn't talking to you," said Lily sharply. "You see, I don't think you can see reason. Meanwhile, Sirius – "

"Sirius? What's going on here?" said the voice of James Potter.

And suddenly, James Potter interfered, once again for the second time in three days.

"Snivellus," said Sirius, feeling no need to explain further.

"Oh," said James.

_This is it_, Lily thought. _He's going to go back to being the jackass he's been for the past five years, probably the first fifteen years of his life. He's going to take the opportunity and -_

But he didn't.

"C'mon, mate," he said instead. "Snivelly isn't worth it. Let's go get some food or something, yeah?" He reached to Sirius' wand and lowered it slowly.

"Yeah, okay," said Sirius, looking slightly distraught. "Lily, you coming?"

"Yeah, okay," she said, deadpanned and shocked.

And they left Snape behind them.

* * *

"You're an idiot," said James on the way to the tower.

"I am," said Sirius. "But so are you."

And they both looked at Lily, walking one step behind them, and smiled. She smiled back, somewhat hesitantly at James.

"I am," agreed James. "I am such an idiot."

* * *

(Part 5: Lily's Realization)

When Lily came into the dorm, much, much later in the day, Dorcas and Marlene were waiting for her. She sighed, but before she could say anything, Marlene started talking, popping a toffee into her mouth and chewing. That's something she only did when she was nervous, so Lily took it as a bad sign. Dorcas was reading a book, or at least, pretending to.

"Listen, I know that you hate him – but I like him a lot, and it's like, I didn't even realize I've liked him all this time until the moment I kissed him, anyway, so there was no way for me to be able to tell you. I don't think I even liked him until that moment. And I wanted to tell you last night, but - but you think James is a prat, so I didn't know how you'd react."

"Truth is…" she sighed. "I don't think he's a prat."

Marlene nearly choked on her toffee and Dorcas actually set down her book. "What?" Dorcas asked bluntly.

"I don't think he's a self-involved prat anymore." She hesitated for a second, as Marlene looked like she was about to faint. "Marlene, are you okay?"

Marlene blinked, and seemed to be regaining consciousness.

"I can't believe it. For the past _five years_ you're complained, and ranted, and shouted at the poor boy. I just – what the hell happened?" asked Dorcas.

Once again, Lily stopped to consider her next few words. "I think it started with Melody, actually," she informed them.

"Melody?" Dorcas asked, looking confused. "What?" Marlene nodded in approval of Dorcas' question, adding another, no less important, "What?"

"Yeah, when it disappeared last year – I didn't really, uh, find her in my luggage. I – well, on the train, when we were going home, Potter – James – gave her to me. He apparently found it and that's why he wanted to talk to me. He didn't even try to ask me out – and I freaked, I don't know, and I insulted him, but the past month he's been great – he hasn't asked me out once this year - and him taking in Sirius last summer, and I've actually seen him _break up a fight with Snape_ and I just don't know how to react, really." Lily took a deep breath. "So, yeah, I don't hate him. I don't think we'll ever get along – but, I mean, he's an okay bloke. Decent. I probably won't be shouting at him as much as I used to." She mumbled the last part. "And if you want to date him…" she added after a thought, "I wouldn't hold it against you. I mean – I had a sort of okay time with him today, so I guess I can understand how somebody _could_ like him. So – that's that."

"Oh," said Marlene and Dorcas together.

* * *

(Part 6: Sometimes He Daydreams)

Severus Snape wished he wasn't himself, sometimes. It would certainly make his life much easier.

He wanted not to be in love.

But that was such an important part of him. Such a defining characteristic, he wouldn't be himself otherwise, really.

Who would he be without the Dark Arts? Who would he be without Lily?

Somebody else.

But he was unwilling to give up either, and so he stayed in love, and so he stayed himself.

At least for a while longer.

* * *

**A/N:** I really hope you didn't see that coming. I've been secretly building up to it for a while, but that kiss was supposed to be a big shocker. So - was it?

I couldn't really write as much as I wanted to this week, mainly because I've been sleeping a lot and I got sick, but also because - you guessed it - TECHNICAL ISSUES! However, I am proud to say that I am making progress. I know where I'm heading and I know how I want to get there, I just haven't drawn the map yet.

SiryII: Original Characters are like, my least favorite thing, but I needed Tally for some balance and plotlines, and she'll eventually become a really interesting character - hopefully - I just haven't gotten there yet.  
A yes, my evil intentions - how did you like the party? I'll get to why Remus wanted to throw that party next chapter, but I hope you liked what I did there...

Sadly, my finals aren't over until the 23rd, which is 3 days after I finish school. I know. School here is weird.

Anybody else screaming over TFioS? Sadly, it's not going to show here until the 26, but a group of friends of mine are renting a place to go see it together once it comes out and I just can't wait! Hope you're all enjoying/planning to enjoy your summer holidays (if yours start in July too)...

Reviews make me post chapters quicker. No, seriously, they do. And share, please!


	10. Interlude

Hi guys, Gail here.

I was about to post chapter 9, but I realized that the way I paced my story is way too fast. I have been thinking about this for a week or so and I've decided to rewrite chapters 9-11, at the **least**, which means that I can't publish anything at least for the next two weeks if not longer (as I like to be three chapters ahead, so I was already writing chapter 4 when I posted chapter 1 etc.). I am so, so sorry, and keep an eye for changes - I might rewrite chapter 8, too, if I have to, but I don't see a major reason why.

Basically what I hope to do in this rewrite is slow down the pace (I had this big development in chapter 10 that really should happen much later) and maybe introduce some minor plotlines I had to get rid of for convenience. If you're curious as to who I'm talking about - message me on my tumblr, haapw - I reply to all messages.

I'm really sorry I have to do this, but hey, at least this time my computer isn't broken (we fixed the old one, by the way, and it's now our TV computer). So hopefully, there will be an update in mid-July - especially likely now that my summer plans basically all went to shit.

With love,

Gail.

P.S. like with the last interlude, I'll probably remove this once the next chapter / the new chapter 8 is up.

_P.S.S. If you like my writing as a whole, and you need a fix while I'm gone, you're welcome to visit my writing blog, .com . Though with one or two of the things I would express major caution - like, real MA content there._


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